Yellow ground squirrel
| Yellow ground squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Yellow ground squirrel ( Spermophilus fulvus ) |
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| Spermophilus fulvus | ||||||||||||
| ( Lichtenstein , 1823) |
The yellow ground squirrel ( Spermophilus fulvus ) is a Hörnchenart from the kind of ground squirrel ( spermophilus ). It occurs east and north of the Caspian Sea in Russia , Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , western Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as in isolated populations in northeastern Iran and northern Afghanistan .
features
The yellow ground squirrel is a comparatively large ground squirrel and reaches a head-to-trunk length of about 22.4 to 32.3 centimeters with a weight of about 290 to 600 grams. The tail is about 7.1 to 8.5 centimeters long and is therefore, as with all ground squirrels, significantly shorter than the rest of the body. The back color is brown-gold with an ash-gray undercoat.
| 1 | · | 0 | · | 2 | · | 3 | = 22 |
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The type, like all species of the genus in the upper jaw half per one to a incisor tooth formed incisor (incisor) to which a tooth gap ( diastema follows). This is followed by two premolars and three molars . In contrast, the animals have only one premolar in the lower jaw. In total, the animals have a set of 22 teeth.
distribution
The yellow ground squirrel occurs east of the Volga and northeast of the Caspian Sea in Russia , Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , western Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, as well as in isolated populations in northeastern Iran and northern Afghanistan . Thorington et al. 2012 also indicate an occurrence in Xinjiang in the People's Republic of China , which was not previously mentioned by Smith & Yan Xie in 2009.
In addition, the species was able to settle and establish itself in various places outside of the original range.
Way of life
The yellow ground squirrel is a diurnal ground squirrel. It lives mainly in deserts and semi-desert areas with sandy, loam or loess soils and feeds mainly on parts of plants, especially roots and tubers of various desert plants and the above-ground parts of salt plants. The animals live solitary and are territorial, they defend a relatively large territory from conspecifics. In the districts they create a single building. Sometimes abandoned burrows of the great gerbil ( Rhombomys opimus ) are used. Occasionally they migrate when their areas are flooded by the snowmelt or when they cannot find enough food.
Like other ground squirrels , the animals spend the winter in a long hibernation that lasts from September to mid-May. No data are available on reproduction. The yellow ground squirrel occurs sympatric with the red ground squirrel ( Spermophilus major ) in the southern third of its distribution area and regionally there are hybrids of these two species.
In addition to the small pebble ( Spermophilus pygmaeus ), the gerbil and the midday rat ( Meriones meridianus ), the yellow pebble is one of the potential carriers of the "sylvatic (bubonic) plague" that is spread among rodents and caused by the yersinia pestis . A total of seven types of coccidia were found in the yellow ground squill.
Systematics
The yellow ground squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of ground squirrel ( Spermophilus ), which according to the current status consists of 15 species following a revision of the genus. The first scientific description comes from the natural scientist Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein from the year 1823. He described the species using individuals from Kazakhstan east of the Mugodschar Mountains and north of the Aral Sea .
Within the species, together with the nominate form, three subspecies are distinguished:
- Spermophilus fulvus fulvus : nominate form; in the northern part of the distribution area between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea. It is brown-gold with an ash-gray undercoat and has a sand-colored body.
- Spermophilus fulvus hypoleucus : in northeastern Iran. The shape has a white belly and appears sand-colored.
- Spermophilus fulvus oxianus : in the southern part of the range. It is comparatively small and corresponds in color to the nominate form, the head is colored a little gray.
Status, threat and protection
The yellow ground squirrel is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified by the large number and the large distribution area of the animals. The animals are hunted within the area for meat and fur, but this is not classified as endangering the population.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 305-306. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ^ A b Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Spermophilus. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 193.
- ↑ a b c d e f Spermophilus fulvus in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2015.1. Posted by: K. Tsytsulina, N. Formozov, B. Sheftel, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ↑ a b c Spermophilus fulvus In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- ↑ Kristofer M. Helgen, F. Russell Cole, Lauren E. Helgen, Don E. Wilson: Generic Revision in the holarctic ground squirrels genus Spermophilus. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (2), 2009; Pp. 270-305. doi : 10.1644 / 07-MAMM-A-309.1
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 305-306. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Spermophilus fulvus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.1. Posted by: K. Tsytsulina, N. Formozov, B. Sheftel, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2015.